Ceramic bodies



Patented Nov. 1, 1949 CERAMIC BODIES Woldemar A. Weyl, State College, Pa., assignor to Monsanto Chemical Company,

Delaware No Drawing.

a corporation of Original application January 2'7,

1941, Serial No. 376,181. Divided and this application April 18,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an electrical insulating composition of the porcelain type having improved electrical and mechanical properties and to a novel glassy metaphosphate binder therefor.

Ceramic bodies of the porcelain type are usually made from three essential constituents:

1. Kaoline and clay (A1203, SiOz, H)

2. Flint (S102) 3. Feldspar (potassium and sodium aluminum silicates).

The clay and flint together form the body of the ceramic mass and as this silica-alumina mixture has a very high sintering point, a flux is most generally added to form the matrix which bonds the particles together and also fills the voids in the mass producing a dense body of low porosity. The flux is usually feldspar which mineral always contains alkali. It has long been known that alkali metal compounds should preferably be absent or present only in minor amount in ceramic bodies used for electrical purposes, because of the tendency of these elements to ionize under electrical stresses.

My invention is accordingly directed to providing an alkali metal free, or substantially free, insulating body, and I accomplish this end by employing in my improved ceramic body as a binding agent a previously formed multicomponent trivalent metal phosphate glass. The metal phosphate glasses the form of a finely divided powder after which they are mixed with the other crystalline constituents such as the kaoline, clay, flint or other body in suitable proportions to effect the desired bonding action, and the plastic mass molded and fired in the usual manner.

The trivalent metal phosphate glasses which I have found suitable for use as a bond in my ceramic body are based principally upon aluminum or iron meta phosphates R(PO3)3 or mixtures thereof. The pure compounds may themselves be fused and cooled to produce glasses, however becauseof the high melting point of these pure compounds it is desirable that other oxides or phosphates be added thereto in order to lower the melting and therefore the glass forming temperature to a point in the neighborhood of 1350 C. Other trivalent metals which may form the basis of my multicomponent glasses are, boron and chromium, however, because of cheapness I prefer to employ iron or aluminum.

Of the oxides or phosphates which I may add to aluminum or iron metaphosphate glasses, in order to lower the melting temperature to the glass working range, I have are first separately prepared in 1946, Serial No. 663,243

found that certain.

other triand bivalent metal compounds such as boric oxide, magnesia, magnesium metaphosphate, calcium oxide or calcium metaphosphate, barium oxide or barium metaphosphate, and aluminum oxide, fiuorspar, etc., are suitable additions. Combinations of these compounds with aluminum metaphosphate in a glass produces relatively low melting points, good glass forming properties and have a desirably low dielectric constant and low dielectric loss. For example I have prepared glasses of the following composition and properties based upon phosphorus pentoxide as the principal acidic constituent:

Dielectric Constant Glass Composition 4 Al(PO3)3 75%;Ca (P092 20%;

5 A1(P0a)s 50% Mg(PO@)z 50% 6 A1(PO3)3 Ba(PO3)2 35% B203 5 7 SiOz (glass) (for comparison 8 SlOz (Quartz) (for comparison) 11.4%, P20 26.6%, B O :5% 5.4%, P O :12.6% Al(PO :79% SiO 6.3%, P O :14.7% Al(PO -:8O%. SiO 15.0%, 13:0 :57 Al(PO :78%, SiO 14.0%, B O :8%

20 Fe(PO SlO2- P 0 23.5% 21 Fe(PO 55% SiO ::13.5%, P 0 31.5%

Glasses are more refractory with less S102 and P205, but the following compositions still form a suitable glass:

No. Glass Composition 22 Fe(PO3)s=85%. SiO- 5%, P205 23 Fe(POa)s:95%, s10 5% 24 Fe PoR)3=90%, sio 10% Glass may also be made using fluorspar as a flux. As examples I give:

No. Glass Composition 25 Fe(P03)3. 98 to 96%, fluorspar 2% to 4%, glasses up 26 ilat r aa igsg m By multicomponent phosphate glasses" as used in the specification and claims, I include those phosphate glasses which are based upon phosphoric anhydride as a principal component and which in addition contain one or more bior trivalent metallic elements present as the oxide or phosphate. There may also be present some quadrivalent elements such as silicon and titanium. It is also to be understood that easily ionizable elements such as the alkali metals are to be excluded to the extent and for the reasons already pointed out. These glasses are substantially water insoluble.

For producing my improved porcelain or chinaware body, I first prepare a multicomponent phosphate glass of a composition such as heretofore described which I then grind to a suitably fine state of subdivision. I then mix the finely divided glass with flint and clay in suitable proportions forming a raw batch suitable for refractory insulating bodies.

As an example I may use the following proportions:

Parts by weight Flint 50 to 60 Kaolin (china clay) 25 to Phosphate glass 5 to The flint, clay and glass mixture may then be ground in a ball mill employing flint pebbles and water and the resultant mass then filtered. The slabs of paste are removed from the filter press frames and stored until ready for use.

To produce the porcelain body the paste may be treated as in the ordinary chinaware manu facture by slip casting or it may be pressed, extruded or shaped on a. wheel. It may be then fired and glazed as is usual and customary with this type of body. Upon firing the preformed phosphate glass bonds the crystalline particles of flint and clay together to produce the dense porcelain body in which the phosphate glass retains its essential glassy nature.

In place of flint and clay or even as an adjunct thereto, I may employ the crystalline mineral (or artificially produced) Steatite which is obtained by firing talc or soapstone alone or a modified Steatite obtained by firing talc or soapstone mixed with clay. Also included within the concept of my invention is the use of magnesium titanate which may be produced by the calcination of magnesium oxide and titanium oxide to produce compounds of the type:

which bodies have valuable electrical insulating properties.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 376,181, filed on January 2'7, 1941.

What I claim is:

1. A multicomponent metaphosphate glass resulting from the fusing together of from to 98% by weight of Fe(PO3)s and from 15% to 2% by weight of fluorspar.

2. A multicomponent metaphosphate glass resulting from the fusing together of 93% by weight of A1(PO3)3 and 7% by weight of fluorspar.

3. A multicomponent metaphosphate glass resulting from the fusing together of 93% by weight of A1(PO3) 3, 2 by weight of fluorspar and 5% by weight of B203.

4. A multicomponent metaphosphate glass consisting of a fused mixture of a trivalent metal metaphosphate selected from the group consisting of Al(PO3)3 and Fe(PO3)3 and from 2% to 15% by weight of fluorspar which is efiective to lower the glass forming temperature, said glass being substantially free of alkali metal compounds.

5. A multicomponent metaphosphate glass resulting from the fusing together of from 98% to 96% by weight of Fe(PO3)3 and from 2% to 4% by weight of fluorspar.

6. A fired ceramic body essentially comprising refractory materials bonded together in said body by means of a preformed multicomponent metaphosphate glass group consisting of A1(PO3)3 and from 15% Fe(PO3)3 and to 2% by Weight of fluorspar.

WOLDEMAR A. WEYL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

